


Broken Sunset

by Miratriarch



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Boruto's birthday, Borutoweek, Deaths, F/M, Lost Bonds, Memories
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 07:24:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18256535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miratriarch/pseuds/Miratriarch
Summary: He'd had everything once, and he never cherished it, but when he lost it all he became scared of losing himself yet his salvation had always been standing so near to him.





	Broken Sunset

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday to our banana boy and a big thank you to Kishimoto, Kodachi and Ikemoto for creating his character.  
> The fic is written for borutoweek2019 event on Tumblr and boltandsaladdays2019 event on Twitter.

Worthless.

All what we’ve passed. All what we’ve lived. All what we’ve buried.

All of it was worthless.

I couldn’t stand looking at her anymore. I couldn’t stand hearing the sound of her voice any longer without getting irritated… at myself.

Why would she do _that_ when she knew full well how much I’d wanted to ask him why wasn’t he happy with us? I swore not to give up until I talked to him. And she’d been by my side the whole time. Protecting me. Preventing me from doing any stupidity.

How dare she?

If she hadn’t held me down so firmly maybe I might have saved him on time. Maybe I wouldn’t be awake right now, panting, with tears in my eyes from yet another nightmare.

It had been my wishful thinking to continue on praying that Mitsuki would just regenerate himself like he always did when he got hit by Ku’s last attack. How did he even get caught in the crossfire?

One thing was for certain; I could have run to him in time if not for her holding on to me so tightly.

I could’ve run and to this day he would’ve looked at me with his gold eyes and call me his ‘Sun.’ Now, he was lost to the earth and wind and life. He was lost to me forever.

_“Both of us lost him.”_

How could she say that to me when it was because of her that I could not go to him and save him? How could she say that she cared?

 _‘She does.’_ My conscience tried to reason with me.

Of course she did. If she hadn’t cared, I wouldn’t have been here and breathing right now. And that was the problem. Why did she care for _me_?

I knew the answer to that and I hated the thought that I would’ve done the same if I was in her place… wouldn’t I?

We’d known each other ever since I knew my surroundings. I’d known her face and spelled her name before I had any of my other friends’. So why was I in this state now? Who was really at fault?

_“Do you think he would’ve wanted you to die too?”_

Albeit, that was true. But I’ve always thought it to be my duty to die for my friends. It was what made me who I am.

_“Aren’t I your friend too?”_

…She was much more than that.

She was the only person with whom I could relate – she still is – as much as I didn’t like it sometimes. Having our fathers neglect us, and refusing to behave like anything but brats. Yeah, good times that I wasn’t very fond of.

Kawaki wouldn’t replace the friend I lost. I’d make sure of it.

I didn’t care how bad his upbringing was, or how skilled and smart he seemed. When he broke my sister’s vase, I totally lost it. I was sad enough as it is, I wouldn’t let Himawari be sad too.

And then, that blonde woman appeared out of nowhere and attacked us. Goddamn, how she made me mad. Kawaki had tried to warn me about it, though. He’d told me how dad was playing around with her, and yet… when she had him pinned down… I couldn’t help but be reminded of him. I didn’t want to be held down again.

So I attacked, and it almost cost me the life of my sister.

If not for Kawaki, both Hima and dad wouldn’t have survived her energy beam, maybe. Just how down would I really fall?

When nighttime arrived, I saw myself out of my room and scrammed onto the rooftops of the different houses surrounding _Konoha_. I hadn’t planned to, but when I saw her standing on her balcony, resting her chin in thought, I couldn’t help but stop in front of her. Of course she was surprised to see me, but even when she asked what I was doing there, I didn’t say anything. Instead, I gestured with my head for her to follow me and she did.

I didn’t let her breathe in peace when I threw a water style technique in her direction. I deserved the punch she threw at me after she’d countered it successfully with a fireball. We engaged in sparring after that. I hurt her and she hurt me. She didn’t have any other choice, I on the other hand… was imagining that _Kara_ woman. Even though I had never awakened the _Byakugan_ I still knew some pressure points to hit from when mom had trained me when I was a kid.

Sarada’s left arm sunk to her side and her _Sharingan_ -activated-eyes widened. She wouldn’t be able to throw any techniques at me with just one hand, not to mention just how weak her stamina really was.

“What has gotten into you?” she asked when she distanced herself.

What had gotten into me indeed? I made my way toward her without any intention of attacking. I took a hold of her wrist and helped her keep her stead. Then we ran. At first I didn’t know where I was headed. I just wanted to get away from this place just as soon as I’d arrived.

The cemeteries came into view and I felt Sarada yank me away. “Can you please slow down.” she huffed breathlessly. “It hurts.”

I stopped and turned to glance at her, my face hiding any ounce of worry it might have had. “What hurts?”

“My wrist.” she answered. “It’s the arm you hit, remember?”

I didn’t say ‘Sorry’ even if deep down I felt apologetic and simply like an idiot.

“Why are you like this today?” she asked again. “Why are we here? No, why did you come to my place?”

She was always so sharp, but I couldn’t possibly tell her about that woman’s attack, even if I was itching to get it off my chest. “Your dad is in the village, isn’t he?” I asked.

She frowned but nodded nonetheless.

“It’s goodbye.” I said. I had made up my mind.

She hesitated. “What do you mean?”

“I’m going to ask your dad to take me with him before he leaves.” Was that a waver in my breath I could detect? “I can’t stay like this anymore.”

She didn’t say anything. I wish she had.

A long journey was before me. Three years later I’d return again. I had taken _Sensei’s_ words and lessons to heart and soul. I’d trained both my body and my mind. _Sensei_ would describe me as calm and analytic now. On top of being a genius and having been blessed with strong genes.

Well… it was the truth.

When I saw how she looked, I felt weird. My senses somehow felt… awakened and I knew that I was sweating.

_She looks really nice._

… I could admit that at least… to myself of course.

She’d grown her hair long and had changed her glasses’ frame into a rectangle instead of that lame elliptic shape. Her ninja attire looked good on her too. It was a red dress – red suited her best – and a faint purple belt across her waist where she would keep her pouch.

_“You’re really back.”_

I had only nodded. I might have felt weird in my senses, but that feeling of distance that had fallen upon us was like constant rain that would never cease.

I wondered sometimes what was it that had made her Sharingan evolve to its fullest. Her level before I left hadn’t been that great.

Truth be told, I had missed her. I sighed to myself. I had missed my other friends too. I greeted Shikadai’s bored face with a small smile of my own. He shook his head and gestured for me to follow him. It was the train hour now.

As for my family, Mom and Hima never failed to put my heart at ease. Even seeing Kawaki and his smug smile after so much time felt nice.

I saw that Hima had surprisingly grown way too much for her age. She was only fourteen now and yet she was almost as tall as Sarada. As for that asshole… goddammit.

“Humph, I see that I can look down on you again.” The bastard said and Hima, who had her hands inclined in his left one, giggled. “Since you know… you’re still so short.”

“Why you little –”

“Don’t finish that, young man.” Mom glared playfully at me.

Tch, it was barely my first week back home and yet I was getting annoyed by that guy and… the closeness he had with Hima somehow didn’t sit well with me. Dad didn’t seem to care for his little sunflower either.

I guess I was looking too much into it, or I’d been spurting a _overprotective big brother_ face for continuous days because both Hima and Kawaki called me out for it.

What could I do though? I had but one sister that I loved and cherished. What would I do if she wasn’t always the first one to greet me whenever I came home?

…

I thought too soon of it.

It happened when Dad had to go out of Konoha to meet with the Feudal Lord.

I rushed over to the hospital and saw Mom and big sis Hanabi hugging each other tightly, Mom muttering words like “I failed!” or “If only I’d trained her more!” over and over.

I opened the door slightly and two beds greeted me. It was filled with paramedics and a pink haired aunt I knew very well was shouting orders left and right. Even when she said “The hole in her chest isn’t closing!” I still didn’t understand the grave situation she actually meant. So I moved inside, still undetected.

Kawaki’s artificially-made hand was clasping Hima’s as they hung loosely on the small space between their beds. His other hand was clutching his black rooster-like hair so hard I thought he was trying to turn himself bald. His eyes were tightly shut and he was gritting his teeth loudly.

It was only when aunt Sakura shouted Hima’s name that he stopped what he was doing and opened his eyes, turning his head toward them.

No, not toward them. Toward me. Upon our eyes making contact, his light gray eyes widened as if they were scared and apologetic, as if they were pleading me for something.

A loud beeping sound of the never-stopping kind was the only one that filled the room.

Himawari would never be able to greet me again.

Not a week passed and Mom and Dad were taking turns visiting Kawaki at the hospital or wanting to take care of me. I did visit him once too but we didn’t part on the best of terms hence why I refrained from going there a second time.

Mom wasn’t feeling well and Kawaki had said that the food served at the hospital felt gross, so I took the liberty of preparing a small bento box and send it to him, but I guess he hadn’t been expecting me if the look of shock on his face was telling me anything.

I guess my unemotional look was irritating him as well.

“I wish you would be angry with me.” He’d said.

“I am.” I had replied. “You can’t even imagine how much I’m itching to choke you right now.”

He’d grabbed me by the collar and yanked me close to him. I still didn’t respond in any way. “Then what is up with your voice and face?”

“I’m a ninja.”

“What?” he asked. “Is this what being a ninja truly feels?”

I’d smirked slightly. “Haahhh, is this what being guilty truly feels?”

I knew I’d gone a bit far with that one, but at least it reached my point across. I left without another word and my feet decided to head me over to the deep crimson bridge above the river.

The sun was almost setting.

Her presence by my side felt like a fresh breeze. I really felt like an idiot, venting in silence like this.

“The storm raging inside of you is almost deafening.” She turned to look at the sunset like me.

Leave it to Sarada to know me like the palm of her hand. “I thought I was concealing it well.”

“You are.” She nodded. “I just assumed.”

“Liar!”

She chuckled softly. I’d missed that sound. _I’d craved that sound._ Heck, I’d even missed the times she would be mad at me for being late for missions or just going out together… Come to think of it, when even was the last time we’d gone out?

“We’ve been distant for so long, I know that,” she said, and I glanced over to her. “But for what it’s worth, if you need a shoulder to lean on…” she turned to look at me as well. “Well… I…”

I hugged her so tight that I thought this would actually hurt her, but she didn’t complain and returned the gesture instead. “If you want to cry, then do so.” She said with a soothing voice, rubbing soft circles on my back. “You’ve been strong for so long, for years.” Have I really been strong like she was saying? Could I take her word for it even though I hadn’t noticed it at all? “Cry as much as you want. I’m here.”

And so I did, for minutes that turned into hours on end. The only thing I could tell was that the sky above us now was dark and starry and her shoulder felt hot and even a little wet. I raised my head and she brought up her hand to cup my left cheek. “You look awful.” She said with a side smile, though her eyebrows were furrowed into a frown.

I closed my eyes and leaned my face on her palm as if it was the most comfortable pillow. “I know.” I whispered. “I’m sorry.”

She sucked in a breath, but didn’t say anything. I thought she might’ve replied with something along the lines like ‘Don’t be!’ or ‘Well, you were too late to say it!’ but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t possibly know how thankful I was at that moment.

“It’s getting chilly.” I said. “You should head home.”

She hummed in affirmation. “Walk there with me.”

I chuckled. “As if someone would dare to cross you.”

“It’s not a matter of me not being able to handle myself, Baka-Boruto.” She adjusted her glasses.

“Okay, okay. Let’s head home then.”

As the both of us made our way to the Uchiha apartment I felt a sense of calm rush through me. Maybe… I was strong like she said and could overcome this too. Maybe everything would turn good at the end.

Except that life’s biggest hobby was to prove me wrong. Badly.

How had it come to this? Was it the way how we parted ways back then in the hospital room? Why did he turn against every ninja he ever knew?

And why was I the one left with the burden of changing everything again? Couldn’t I just sit back for once? I was tired.

Escorting the villagers inside the shelters behind the Hokage rock with the help of my friends and other still–alive ninjas was just the start of it.

It was understandable how my friends didn’t like it when I told them I was about to confront Kawaki on my own. The class prez was the first to step up.

“I’d told you once that I will use my power to help you, even die for you if necessary. Please don’t go on your own.”

“How much more am I going to lose, Sumire?” Whether it was my cold tone that made her flinch or the fact that this was just the second time I’d ever called her by her name, I didn’t know, but even I was running out of time now.

“Don’t lash out against her like that.” Shikadai stepped forward. “There isn’t a single one of us who wants you to do this or even agrees with you.”

“I don’t want to do it either, you know.”

“Then for God’s sake don’t.” It felt weird hearing Shikadai sounding so desperate. “Our village is totally ruined. There’s not a single one of us who knows the whereabouts of Lord Hokage and you–”

“I have to.” I interrupted. “I have to because once I was a glass full of water,” I saw how my friends’ looks got filled with pity. It felt like I was served a glass of poison at the sight, but I still made myself to continue. “But now even the glass has cracked.”

 _Just one more. Just one more step._ Purple chakra became visible around my right hand as Kakashi’s lightning technique – the one that had shaped me so much – sounded across the place. The moment I released it, the entrance closed firmly, separating hope from reality.

I hadn’t realized just how much time I’d spent there, trying to convince my comrades for what was best, for the sun had already began to set. I noticed how the broken colors of red and orange and purple were battling each other for dominance in the weeping sky.

_Dad… Mom… Sensei…_

I noticed _her_ from the right corner of my eye. She was on her knees in the muddy ground, her head was low and her hands were gripping tightly both of the ninja headbands of my Dad and hers.

I made my way toward her. When I saw her scorching tears, turning even the rings around her eyes as red as her _Mangekyo_ , I felt like I wanted to punch a hole so deep it would split the Earth in two. But I didn’t move my hand to wipe them off. Instead, I gripped the hand that was clutching _Sensei’s_ headband and snatched it off her. I rose again and this time the one I was facing didn’t look neither smug nor happy to see me.

“Do you remember what Dad said to that Kara woman when she attacked us?” I asked. He averted his gaze, but nodded nonetheless. _“If you lay a hand on the kids, I’d make sure you would wish to die.”_ I chuckled. “Who could’ve known things would turn out like this? I never thought you’d go this far, Kawaki!”

“The age of shinobi is over now.” He said, his Karma seal activating in bright red. “I’ll send you… and her where I sent the Seventh and his Shadow pretty soon.”

I hummed as I closed my eyes, taking out the headband I borrowed earlier and wearing it. My own seal activated in bright blue as well. “Let me say this before we fight,” I made myself ready to activate _that eye_ again. “I’m still… a shinobi.”

…

 _This eye of yours will be the reason for destruction or the reason behind the world’s salvation._ That’s what I always knew and I’d been determined for it to be the latter only, but now that I had finally time to breathe and look back, I realized that it had actually been both.

I ruined everything, I was saved, and I protected what I could in the process.

A shiver ran through my entire body and I noticed my vision blurring. My breath was coming off in bits and I thought I might actually hyperventilate at that very moment.

Death was at my door too, most likely.

_Boruto._

What?

_Boruto._

“Is it you, Sarada?”

I turned my head to look at the place where I’d last seen her and she was still there, her head low and still holding my dad’s headband in her hands.

I was sure I was hearing her voice, but she was so far away.

I felt two chilling fingers tap me across my forehead and the scenery changed at once. It wasn’t sunset anymore. The morning light washed through my eyes as I felt those same chilling thumbs brush under my eyes and wipe off whatever it was there.

“It was just a nightmare.” Sarada bent her head down and barely brushed her lips against my wet eyelids. “It’s alright. It was just a dream.”

I hummed and rubbed the sleep off my eyes after she rose up from the bed. “You were already up?” I asked, noticing that she was wearing casual clothes instead of being ready for her work.

“Yeah.” she replied.

“Are you– are you wearing my pink apron?” I raised an eyebrow and she returned the gesture. “What’s the occasion this early in the morning?”

Sarada’s expression looked pained for a split second, but that was quick to change into a soft laugh as she put both of her hands on her hips. “I guess someone forgot that it’s his Womb Emancipation Day today.”

“It’s what?”

Sarada sighed. “Happy birthday, idiot.”

“Huh?” So birth… I laughed and rose from the bed as well, making my way to her. I slid my arms around her waist and brought her closer to my bare chest. “If I remember yours then that’s more than enough.” I said and bent my head down for a morning kiss, but she was quick to act and hugged me tightly instead. I sighed softly and hugged her back.


End file.
